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Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

tsywake said:
Howso? I do find it annoying that they randomly send out mailers like this, but it's the same thing with ambulance chasers who send out letters after someone gets a speeding ticket.
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Bc I get inundated with claims and I know 90% of them are going to result in a denial or “minor damage to flashing/$1,200 minus deductible” settlements and pissed off people.

Plus these guys coach homeowners, take over “handling” the claim which is so annoying or at worse actually vandalize roofs
 
tsywake said:
@Deaconblue, we are looking to replace our wooden railings on our deck with stainless cables. Do you have any recommendations on a brand or a source that you prefer?
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I've never done stainless steel cable railings. So, no I dont have sources or preferences to offer.

They look good. I would guess that getting the proper tension would require some special tools, similar to barbed wire fence stretchers. Also, attaching to and supporting end posts would be important so those posts don't start to lean under tension.

I would wonder about sagging during summer heat. Sent me down a rabbit hole. Elongation would be around 1/4 inch in a 50 foot run with a 20 degree (F) temperature rise. Shrinkage in cold will also happen, and make the cables shorter. So whoever installs needs to account for expansion and contraction.

Outdoors in most of the US you will have 70 degree (F) or more annual temperature swings.
 
Anybody know anything about swimming pool liners? If you have a leak can they be tested to find out where and fixed or is it better to get a new liner?
 
DeacWatcher said:
Anybody know anything about swimming pool liners? If you have a leak can they be tested to find out where and fixed or is it better to get a new liner?
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I don’t own a pool but I would at least try the ‘test to see if it can be fixed’ option either by watching YouTube videos or (best option) hiring a pool guy with good reviews on Thumbtack
 
DeacWatcher said:
Anybody know anything about swimming pool liners? If you have a leak can they be tested to find out where and fixed or is it better to get a new liner?
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My SIL has an above ground pool and took out her liner to clean it. She did not realize that it would dramatically shrink and had to buy a new one.
 
We are looking to upgrade homes as it is too small for our family (5 people, 1800 sq ft). Options are either to rebuild on our lot or buy a bigger home outside of the city. Renovation is a band-aid solution as we want ~3k sq ft. I don’t want to tear down our house and lose the equity we have in it (house is in good shape, built in 1970) and I don’t want to leave our 3% interest rate and buy a new home at 8%. We’ve been staying on the ‘stay put’ option for too long.

We talk to realtors who say ‘sell’ and contractors who say ‘rebuild’…some unbiased advice from the boards would be much appreciated and I would imagine others are in a similar spot.
 
freakadeac said:
We are looking to upgrade homes as it is too small for our family (5 people, 1800 sq ft). Options are either to rebuild on our lot or buy a bigger home outside of the city. Renovation is a band-aid solution as we want ~3k sq ft. I don’t want to tear down our house and lose the equity we have in it (house is in good shape, built in 1970) and I don’t want to leave our 3% interest rate and buy a new home at 8%. We’ve been staying on the ‘stay put’ option for too long.

We talk to realtors who say ‘sell’ and contractors who say ‘rebuild’…some unbiased advice from the boards would be much appreciated and I would imagine others are in a similar spot.
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Realtors sell. Contractors build. Sounds like both are staying on message and in their respective lanes. As you noted the sell this and buy that is a matter of finances. Finance bros on here can better advise you on that.

The build more here option has a lot of "it depends."

What functional areas do you want in the new space? Bedroom(s)? bath(s)? Kitchen? Recreation room/common space? Is your current house design such that it would be reasonable to get functional traffic flow to the addition? I'm guessing that your biggest need for space is more bedrooms, like going from three to four or five with one or two or three more bathrooms. Some DIY design work will clarify your space needs. Also, a rough design will make discussions with architects, builders and structural engineers much more productive.

Do you currently have a basement? Do you want one under the new construction? Even if you don't have a basement under the existing, it could be put under the new space. Can it be done where you are?

I would download a freeby CAD software package, draw up your current house footprint and then draw up a bunch of possible additions. If you're old fashioned, use graph paper and pencil.

Do you have enough buildable space on your lot? Take some rope or garden hose and lay out the space next to your house. 30 x 40 rectangle or something like that to get the 1200. Is there anything (like septic system, well, sewer etc) in that rectangle? Is it flat enough, or can it be made flat enough for building? Are there legal restrictions on size of house on your piece of ground? Setback requirements?

In some neighborhoods near me, people have bought houses, ripped off the back wall completely and then build an addition that is as big to 3 times bigger than the original house. These houses were unoccupied during construction. Do you have alternative living space for times when your house or at least significant parts of it are unoccupied?

Could you go up instead of out? That is, literally raise the roof and put on a second story, either full or partial? A structural engineer would need to evaluate the condition of your current house with respect to its ability to support construction of additional occupied space above. or possible combination. Add partial second story with a two story addition to get the necessary space.

Are you willing and able to put up with massive disruption of your house for a year (less if you're lucky.)

Do you plan to do the general contractor part yourself, or do you plan to hire a GC and have the GC find all the necessary subcontractors, deal with scheduling, permitting, fees etc.?

Paying for new construction is yet another consideration. Short term construction loans rarely come cheap. Then they need to be covered eventually by a long term mortgage. (HELOC available to you?) $130 - $160 per square foot plus etceteras is construction cost near me, so $150,000to $200,000 for your 1200 sq ft addition. Figure you might need to cover $250,000. It is rare that construction comes in on or under budget. How would that work as an addition to your house cost in your neighborhood? There are websites that allow you to do ball park construction cost estimates based on your location.
 
Not my project, but I'm just curious if this thing I'm witnessing is bad. Workers have been out yesterday and today to tear down and replace the back deck of the house behind me. This morning I watched the guys dig the holes for the support posts, place the beams in the holes and pour concrete into the holes. A mere couple of hours later, they are framing the deck, sawing, drilling and attaching things to the support beams. I know that there is quickcrete and stuff that does dry quickly, but when we had our deck redone a couple of years ago there was at least a day if not three between placing the support beams and adding the framing. Not to mention the city inspector who came to inspect the depth of the holes before the posts were placed and then inspect the posts before the frame was put on. So obvi these guys don't have permits, but I still feel like the concrete could use a little more time to set. But I don't know nothin about nothin, so...
 
There are quick setting concrete products that can stand loads 2 hours after emplacement. If those guys used that kind of quick set concrete, probably sorta OK. The lack of inspection, insuring proper depth for supports etc. Sketchy.
 
I'm not a fan of sinking deck posts in concrete in general. To much can shift or rot or stress over time. I definitely prefer sinking an anchor bolt in the concrete and mounting the posts via a surface bracket to make things a lot more flexible.

Anybody ever have an entire house worth of polybutylene plumbing replaced with pex (3.5 bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room)? Assuming both living floors can be generally accessed via basement and attic, was there much invasion through the walls or can most of the work be done from below and above? Luckily it is a beach house and not my primary house, but I can still see this becoming a giant pain in the ass.
 
Any recommendations for a riding mower? I've got about a half acre yard and would like to get a riding mower rather than push mowing the whole thing. I like the John Deere S130 but thought I would see if anyone had any thoughts.
 
I need to change out my whole house water filter but the water main value won’t fully shut off. It’s a gate valve and I don’t know how old, but when I close it water still dribbles through and I cannot completely clear the pressure from the system to remove the filter. I am on well water so there is no municipal water cut off at the street, this valve is pretty much it. Is there any way to get the pressure off and switch out the filter without replacing the valve? I guess the valve needs to be switched out entirely, so any advice on turning the well pump off to get the job done? First few YouTube videos suggest freezing the pipes and quickly replacing the valve, but that seems like a terrible idea.
 
birdman said:
I need to change out my whole house water filter but the water main value won’t fully shut off. It’s a gate valve and I don’t know how old, but when I close it water still dribbles through and I cannot completely clear the pressure from the system to remove the filter. I am on well water so there is no municipal water cut off at the street, this valve is pretty much it. Is there any way to get the pressure off and switch out the filter without replacing the valve? I guess the valve needs to be switched out entirely, so any advice on turning the well pump off to get the job done? First few YouTube videos suggest freezing the pipes and quickly replacing the valve, but that seems like a terrible idea.
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It is extremely ungood to not have a properly working water shutoff for your house. You probably need a plumber to replace that main shutoff valve.

Your system may have a pressurizer to even out water pressure between pump on/pump off. Try to find a plumber who is knowledgeable about well based water systems so he can explain what you have and what ongoing maintenance your specific set up requires. You know about the filter. Anything else?

There should be a circuit breaker in your electric panel to shut off power to the well pump. If not, find a electrician to put that in place. Said electrician should know if local code allows/recommends/requires an additional well pump on/off switch.

The pipe freezing option is something best left to experienced professionals.
 
Thanks Blue. I got the filter depressurized and switched out and just had the water dribbling into a bucket for the five minutes and cleaning and switching out the filter. There was a little red button on the filter to vent off the pressure and then a slight dribble of water out of the main. I’ll get a plumber in here to switch out the valve because, while I’ve repaired burst pipes and replace faucets and toilets before the water main shut off seems too important for my amateur skills. Thanks for your input!
 
HeltonCreek said:
Any recommendations for a riding mower? I've got about a half acre yard and would like to get a riding mower rather than push mowing the whole thing. I like the John Deere S130 but thought I would see if anyone had any thoughts.
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I’ve got one of theses and love it:

www.hustlerturf.com

Hustler Raptor® XL | Residential Zero-Turn Mower

Designed for a smooth ride, this residential zero-turn lawn mower come with Flex Forks™ and a premium style seat that enhances operator comfort while mowing.
www.hustlerturf.com www.hustlerturf.com

But I’ve got 5 acres to mow so it is probably more than you need.
 
Somebody on the CT mentioned whole home generators. Does anybody have any experience with this? Our house already has a natural gas line.
 
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